As one of the main drivers of the nation’s economic development in most of the 20th century, Detroit fell into an economic decline that challenged the city with distress, poverty, and unemployment. Even though some people think Detroit had lost its glory, many Detroiters have been striving to rebuild and revitalize the city through entrepreneurial ideas and social innovation. ProsperUS Detroit, a program of Southwest Economic Solutions that I am working for this summer, is one of the powerful contributors to Detroit’s economic development through empowering social entrepreneurship.

ProsperUS Detroit carries a mission to transform low-income neighborhoods in Detroit by providing opportunities for individuals and families to achieve greater economic success. It seeks to support low and moderate income, immigrant and minority entrepreneurs through entrepreneurial training, business services, and micro-lending. This summer, Blake and I are working on projects in all three pillars of ProsperUS’s services, which give us opportunities to work with employees in different groups in ProsperUS and comprehensively learn about and integrate into the organization. One of our projects is called Storytelling, for which we seek out to entrepreneurs connected to ProsperUS for a conversational interview, in order to learn about their business and entrepreneurial experience and expertise, as well as ProsperUS’s impact on their path. We will write short articles about them after we gather information and insights from the interviews, and post them on the ProsperUS website and social media, to raise awareness for entrepreneurial approach and spirit in the community and inspire others, especially low income and minority individuals, to take entrepreneurial actions. In addition to the Storytelling project, we are also working on a project for which we create templates for both a business plan and a cash flow statement that can be used during entrepreneurial training in the future. Our goal for the project is to create additional resources for the training curriculum and to share the information that the business services team and the micro-lending team look for when our program graduates apply for other types of assistance with ProsperUS. When it comes to constructing a business plan and filling out financials information for a business, students of the program often struggle with making an effort to get started, accounting for all kinds of costs associated with the business’s operation, and conducting market research. We aim to create templates that include clear and specific instructions on how to complete each part of a business plan and a cash flow statement form, multiple and specific categories of costs that will help entrepreneurs to take different types of costs into account and document them correctly, and a comprehensive section of market, competition, and risks that will drive entrepreneurs to research about the market more effectively. Besides Storytelling and Templates Creation, we were working on and finished a number of other projects. We created an Intake Form for all business services applicants to fill out before they can receive official assistance from ProsperUS. The form makes the process of reviewing applicants more efficient and directly provides applicants with crucial resources. We also updated the In-Business Map and Lending Map with related information of our clients in the recent two years, in order to achieve a more accurate presentation of ProsperUS’s impact in the community geographically and a more efficient and effective promotion of the businesses supported by ProsperUS. Last but not least, we developed Excel formulas that automatically add data to the gender category and the race/ethnicity category, which accelerate the process of recording clients’ data and foster awareness of and discussion on supporting more woman-owned and minority-owned businesses. I believe that what we do everyday is supporting the entrepreneurial spirit and small business community in Detroit, and that such effort altogether with Detroiters’ innovative endeavors can revitalize and transform the city.

Within the three weeks I have been living in Detroit, I have become a strong proponent for its recovery. I couldn’t help feeling a sense of pride and optimism at Ford’s public announcement to revamp the Michigan Central station. When I listen to Build Institute alumni recount their success stories, I always realize the profound impact this nonprofit is having in Detroit. Nevertheless, some surrounding areas of Detroit aren’t seeing the development and economic recovery that areas like Midtown and downtown Detroit are seeing. It’s not hard to notice that simple infrastructural things, such as bike lanes, are widespread in places like Midtown but disappear when you reach places like Corktown. While this is largely due to the fact that many investors overlook these less developed areas of Detroit, it’s important to invest more time and money in the less developed areas if there is any hope of a full and widespread recovery of Detroit. Without that, Detroit will continue to hold on to the image of being dilapidated and dangerous.

One of my first thoughts when I began working at Build Institute was, “why did they choose this location?”. There were stark differences between Midtown and Corktown, and I couldn’t help but wondering if Corktown was the best location for this incubator. I slowly began to realize it’s places like Build Institute that are taking the leap and trying to bring life and development into the more forgotten areas of Detroit. Simply put, Build Institute is an incubator that offers a variety of programs and classes to help aspiring entrepreneurs achieve their goals. Depending on where they are in their endeavors, whether they are trying to get their idea off the grind or expand their already established business, Build Institute’s goal is to empower the community of Detroit by providing them with the knowledge they need to create and sustain businesses.

My work with Build Institute is widespread, but I love reflecting on how each task I complete plays into the bigger picture. Three things I have spent a significant amount of time working with are the alumni survey, the neonCRM (consumer relationship management), and establishing a chamber of commerce. The alumni survey is crucial to Build obtaining feedback about it’s courses and it’s economic impact. Depending on these results, we are able to propose more appealing reasons to investors about why we should get money. Understanding our alumni’s thoughts on not only our courses but whether or not they started their business and how they are doing allows us to understand the impact we are having on the Detroit community. Moreover, we can use their stories to empower other members who are still hesitant about becoming entrepreneurs. When creating this survey Tonya and I had to ensure that we were obtaining valuable information that would allow us to achieve these goals. Even smaller tasks, such as understanding how to work the neonCRM and establishing a chamber of commerce, play pivotal roles in Build’s future. Helping our co-workers with these tasks help Build grow as an organization by refining its methods of organization and data analysis, which improve customer satisfaction rates. Looking from the broader perspective, these improvements are leading to more and more businesses in the 313, and soon enough places like Corktown will be booming too.

​

TechTown is an incubator and accelerator that strives to support tech companies and small businesses across Detroit. This summer Chris and I are working with the Blocks division, the side of TechTown that serves brick-and-mortar businesses. Our project is to create economic impact reports for two of their signature programs: SWOT City and Retail Boot Camp. Although it initially seemed as though our job would be simple, putting together the report has turned out to be quite a challenge. Throughout the years TechTown’s data has been kept in different places and along the way records have been lost. My days with Chris mostly consist of us pulling available data, figuring out the best way to report it, and carefully documented gaps in the data. Initially, I struggled to see the broader impact of the work we were doing. I knew from the very beginning that the impact report was necessary for TechTown to continue to secure the funding that would enable them to continue their work. However, when I first started working with TechTown I did not fully understand how important the work they did truly was. I began to get a sense of this my first week when I attended the Retail Boot Camp showcase with Chris. The graduates were passionate, pitched extremely well, and had clear plans for how they were going to develop their businesses. At the end of the night, the winners were awarded $5,000 and every business was handed over to SWOT city where they would continue to receive support. Over the next couple of weeks, I began to appreciate the work TechTown does more and mores simply by looking over all the numbers. In the past three years the Blocks program has served over a 100 clients. They have made over 2,000 referrals to over 200 different resources and helped to create 40 full time jobs. However, the moment I fully understood TechTown’s reach was when Lee, Divya, Ajay, and I went to Demo Days. Before the pitch competition, the contestants had set up stands outside the theater hall. I immediately recognized four or five of the businesses’ names from the data we had been working at, and was excited to see Lush Yummy Pie co., one of the recent Retail Boot Camp Graduates, was there. I then watched the owner give a spectacular pitch and win first in the Start category and the People’s Choice award for a total of 125,000 in prize money. Now I clearly see that TechTown supports incredible businesses and equips them with powerful skills and very useful resources. I am excited that I can contribute to this incredible organization and help them secure the funding to continue their work.​

​I am working for TechTown Detroit, an incubator for businesses all around the Detroit area. Specifically, I am working under Amy and Sarah, two wonderful people who work under the Blocks section of TechTown. The Blocks section helps existing businesses form brick and mortar businesses around Detroit to encourage people and businesses to stay in Detroit to encourage growth and local engagement. Sofia and I are tasked to create a retrospective economic impact report for the S.W.O.T. City Program including data from when the program first started in 2012. In this report, we have to include economic data such as funding, demographics of the owners, industry data and other metrics included in any data we find. Not only this, we have to also recognize and point out where there are gaps in the data so that the team can know this information when they read this. The reason why what we are doing is so important Is because later in the year, the SWOT City staff is receiving reports from the city including what they have done in the past with previous businesses over the years, and then in combination with what we find, are going to make the best-informed decisions in order to expand the program to help even more people. I have personally seen businesses come into the building, say their five-minute pitches, and receive grants and have their whole lives changed because now they have the funding to proceed with their business plan as they envisioned it. After witnessing this first-hand, I realize how important the project we are doing and how important this incubator is. The amount of businesses that have already been helped and will be helped in the upcoming years is massive. If people were to name one incubator that is making a large impact on a major city, most people would say TechTown. Sofia and I are helping bring economic growth back into the suburbs of Detroit by helping TechTown expand and reach an even bigger audience. There will always be people who are trying to help Detroit by creating their own business, but many people do not have the guidance and resources to make that effort successful. I want to put in my best effort in order to make sure that TechTown can keep helping peoples dreams come true and revitalize Detroit back into the great city that everyone knows and loves.

Sometimes what defines a city is not its infrastructure or buildings, but rather the interaction between people and the sparks from the creation of ideas. Hardly did I imagine Detroit to have so many people dedicated to founding their own initiative to benefit the community and I could not have thought that I could play a part in helping to grow and refine the entrepreneurial ecosystem. At Build Institute, we are mainly working on creating an annual impact report of Build Institute’s numerous programs. At one point, it may seem like we are just collecting data and Build alumni’s responses and putting together a report for show; however, our work is so much more.

On Monday, I attended an alumni cocktail hour. It was located in a small pub midtown. Walking through the doors, a mixture of scents conquered my senses. Having talked with the owner, I learned that she herself was an alum of Build. Her initiative, this niche bar, has become a popular gathering place for the locals, boasting almost a full house every single night. She was very grateful to Build, where she learned necessary business knowledge. During the night, I met other alumni who have established business or have an idea in mind. They were truly passionate about the work they were doing and very appreciated Build’s help.

In a time of limited employment opportunities and turbulent political environment, it is essential to being able to keep a job. Through our project of the impact report, we will be able to find out where our alumni are and how well they are doing. A great thing about starting a business is that no one is able to keep an initiative running themselves. By helping an entrepreneur start a project, we are also creating more employment opportunities for the locals. By collecting relevant data, we will be able to find out how much net economic impact Build is making in Detroit and surrounding regions. By making the case for Build, our report can attract more investors and partners to expand Build’s reach and program, making the way for more aspiring entrepreneurs to get the tools and knowledge they need.

At the same time, we are also creating the framework for an alumni association. Having a network is essential for people starting a business. Many alumni at Build do not have access to professionals. Having a pool of like-minded individuals to contact could help alumni further develop their ideas and form partnerships to combine resources to form a venture. Having an organized alumni association has always been on the calendar of Build, we are fortunate to be here to help facilitate the process.

I believe that our projects this summer would help expand Detroit’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through attracting more capital investment and connecting people. We do not have to install a monument to make a change in a city. Monuments get forgotten; only people's thoughts can truly revive them. Oftentimes, the most important and lasting changes are made within the people's mindset and forces that help shape a society’s way of life.

Cities are man’s greatest creation. To live, work, entertain, and shop together in one dense area is the most efficient and sustainable way to live. Humans were made for cities. But, oddly enough, most American cities were not made for humans; they were made for cars. When in a car, one cannot interact with others outside. Large infrastructure, wide highways, and houses that are far apart and far away from economic development have become the conventions of an American city. In contrast, a city made for humans is one that is said to be of the “human scale,” a phrase often associated with the urban designer, Jan Gehl. Imagine a city where you didn’t have to worry about pedestrian fatalities or crossing massive concrete public plazas that seem to stretch for miles. A human scaled city is walkable and places the greatest emphasis on pedestrians and bicycles when considering the street layout. This city also allows for more interaction between people because they are in closer proximity, which improves collaboration. It has ample green space to offset the concrete conglomeration and it is the perfect density—skyscrapers aren’t overpowering in number and oppressive in height, and everything is still close enough to the point where a human can comfortably walk from work to the library, post office, grocery store, and then back home.

The city in which I have described is ideal, yet it is merely a conception, not a reality. Designing all cities must be viewed from a human perspective. This seems so trivial and obvious—we are all humans, so why would a city not be designed for us? These past few weeks of living in Detroit has shown me a narrative of a city that wasn’t designed for human scale. The vast highway infrastructure has divided communities. Enormous boulevards, like Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, are so wide that I barely have time to walk across them in the time allotted (perhaps this is because of flawed traffic light timing, but the boulevard still reinforces my claim that Detroit lacks human-sized infrastructure). While riding a bike downtown, there was no room for me on the congested road because of the number of cars rushing to get to parking garages.

​This summer, I am challenging the ethos of a city that is dependent on cars. I am shifting the city from a car culture to one that supports sustainable modes of transportation designed on the human scale. Just like my ideal city, however, these plans for my summer are unattainable. I’m confronting an issue in a city that wasn’t made for a human, so it’s going to take more than just one of us to truly make an impact. For now, I’m assisting a mobility effort to increase accessibility of bikes for disabled humans. The human scale includes all humans, not just able-bodied ones, so it’s important to consider all abilities when planning a city. Sometimes I feel like my impact is minimal, but each time I answer someone’s question about how those red bikes work, I am increasing knowledge of human scaled transit, one human at a time, which could also be considered human scale.

A street in downtown Detroit. You can clearly see cars are the main focus, as they take up a majority of the open space.

​The GreenLight Fund model is unique: in an annual process, each branch works closely with community leaders to identify issue areas that need addressing, find organizations and programs that act on these issues and are not currently in the community of interest, and finally invest in a single organization so that it can come to the community and bring about change. Since I started interning at the GreenLight Fund branch in Detroit I have noticed the many functioning pieces that must be put in place for this process to run smoothly; however, the central mission of all of the work being done has always been very clear—everything is about social impact and finding organizations that can bring social impact to the community of Detroit.

My project at GreenLight Fund Detroit is twofold. Firstly, I am building and developing its communications channels. Day to day this entails researching and presenting on the best social media practices for nonprofits similar to GreenLight Fund; finding social management tools that can be implemented in the Detroit branch; building content for all of the communications channels; and creating a schedule for social media posts to be sent out that can be continued after I leave this summer. Not only will this piece of my project help the GreenLight Fund Detroit office run smoother in terms of its social media presence, but I see it as doing a lot more than that. If I can help GreenLight Fund Detroit show off its platform of social impact, by better communicating to the Detroit community what organizations they have invested in, the good these organizations are doing for the community, and other cool social entrepreneurship ventures happening in Detroit, then maybe it will have a lasting effect on members of the Detroit community. Maybe it will inspire Detroiters to find their own ways to make a social impact in their community or make use of the new organizations coming in that have been invested in or, at the very least, become more knowledgeable of the social impact scene in Detroit and GreenLight Fund’s place in it.

Secondly, I am helping to build the branch’s pipeline by researching organizations around the nation that work to address the issues GreenLight Fund Detroit has identified for this year’s cycle. I compile all of my findings into a spreadsheet as well as into Salesforce for Rishi and Nina, the executive director and program associate respectively, to read through as they decide which ones to move forward with and consider as possible investments. Here I see my impact in the city very directly: one of the organizations that I have either researched or found could be getting an investment from GreenLight Fund Detroit by the end of this process and coming to Detroit to make change on a pressing issue for the community. Last cycle, they invested in a group called the Center for Employment Opportunities, which helps people that have just been released from prison to have an immediate job and path to permanent employment, thereby reducing the chances that they return to prison. This next cycle? Who knows, but as of now it could end up being a group that I did initial research on or put on the radar for GreenLight Fund Detroit. A year from now, an organization will be coming into Detroit to make a social impact and address an important issue and it could very well be an organization that I compiled information on for the Detroit branch, which makes me very excited.

Part of an exhibit in the pop-up science museum located in the lobby of the building we work in.

​It is often times the unexpected moments in life that are the most rewarding and insightful. My summer experience interning for Detroit Food Academy thus far has further supported this statement. It is simple to explain to someone that I, along with my partner Ajay, are assigned to two different branches of Detroit Food Academy and have been given the freedom to explore our passions in developing creative deliverables and use our skills to formulate improvements for the nonprofit itself. A portion of our projects are rooted in the Fellowship program of DFA, where we are meeting weekly with each fellow, helping them with resume and professional development, and creating a video series, where each video tells the story of a fellow. The remaining projects fall within the scope of Small Batch Detroit, which as the business side of DFA, allows our projects to be more product-focused. We are developing a method for the company to effectively identify and record training/work hours, looking for ways to get funding, identifying methods for the production of products to become more efficient, and improving the marketing for the food products Small Batch has to offer.

The question of how I am specifically serving the Detroit community, however, is more complex to explain. By no means do I completely understand the scope of my project, for I have yet to understand Detroit in its entirety. I have begun my search through unexpected moments that have spurred self-reflection, curiosity, and understanding. When I scheduled the initial meetings with the fellows, I was hesitant that these interactions would be productive. I imagined stiff conversations with individuals who were just a bit younger than me. Interestingly enough, these meetings made me realize that not only was each individual incredible, but the DFA program they were in actually managed to change their lives. One fellow in particular mentioned that he was an aggressive kid, with several suspensions under his belt until he joined DFA. Not only did the after-school program take up his time, which prevented him from getting in trouble, but he also became interested in his education again, as he found passions in baking and entrepreneurship. The idea suddenly came to us that a video series would go beyond a powerful marketing tool for Small Batch products and inspire individuals that other Detroiters who may be very similar to them were able to find passions and learn somewhere outside the classroom setting. This, as well as the individual projects with the fellows have allowed me to understand that you cannot fix the problems of Detroit without first tackling education, and you cannot fix education without addressing the needs of the students. Similarly, our work at the production facility, attempting to make production and records more efficient, as well as creating “Post Small-Batch plans” with every employee ideally will improve the culture and output of the company. This in-turn supports more production and revenue for DFA to utilize in expansion, making programs available to more students in Detroit. Our projects are not only improving marketing, production, and efficiency; rather, we are aiming to improve the individual lives of the students of Detroit by raising awareness and availability one unexpected moment at a time.

Detroit Demo Days, where DFA won $50,000 in the Young Entrepreneurs Category!

Being that GreenLight Fund Detroit is relatively new to the Detroit area and recently invested in their first program in the area, the nonprofit is still in the process of developing a stronger partnership landscape with social entrepreneurs, social enterprises, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and potential funders within this region. One of my internship projects this summer involves researching social entrepreneurs, social enterprises, and potential funders in the Detroit area and compiling comprehensive profiles on each individual or corporation reviewed. My final product will be a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database where my executive director can easily and intentionally contact the individuals and organizations listed in the database and track his relationship development process. Though my project involvement directly affects GreenLight Fund Detroit, it indirectly affects the greater Detroit community. By developing a robust and in depth landscape of the various players in the Detroit community, GreenLight Fund will be better suited to understand the Detroit community in a deeper scope and to invest in programs that are for the betterment of the community as a whole. Referring back to the social entrepreneurial and non-governmental ecosystem in Detroit, one of the best ways a social impact program can be effective in a given space is if the program truly learns about the given landscape and social implications before introducing themselves to the community. This specific project seeks to bring a deeper sense of understanding to the programs or initiatives the Detroit community truly needs. Personally, this project has made me better able to conceptualize the character and landscape of the city and its progress based on the individuals and organizations who shape and mold Detroit’s present and future. Looking at the extensive work being done by amazing and passionate individuals makes progress a reality as opposed to a distant dream or future. Detroit’s future is bright because the individuals who work for the betterment of the city and its residents are bright. Though I may not be closely interacting with the Detroit community, I feel that through my work I am contributing to the process of correctly and appropriately addressing social problems in Detroit. Once this specific project is completed, I will be better able to determine the specific elements of my work that will eventually interface with the greater Detroit community. I am tremendously excited to see how our work in our prospective work sites and organization partnerships will immediately or eventually impact the growth and development of the city.

​I feel as though we have been partnered with nonprofits that actually make a significant impact in the rebuilding process of Detroit. I have seen this form of impact first hand at ProsperUS. Whether it is sitting in a weekly meeting and hearing a loan officer joyously say that a loan recipient has just opened their doors for business, or it’s going into a ProsperUS graduate’s newly purchased restaurant space that will soon become his realized dream, I always know there is real change. As inspiring and gracious it is to see that from an outside perspective, I wanted to be a significant catalyst in that impact. I think Ava and I have been gifted with the ability to do just that with our project assignments. The one that I would like to touch on specifically within this blog post is the financial templates utilized within ProsperUS’ entrepreneur training course. I am in charge of recreating these templates to make it easier for an entrepreneur to transition from the training course to the receiving a loan or receiving business services. If an entrepreneur has well organized financials for their business, then this is a much easier and successful process. I want my templates to simplify this process by upending any language barrier or educational inequities that exist. I feel like a real issue for up and coming entrepreneurs is the fact that they do not take rejection all that well because their families are so dependent on the success of their business. If someone trying to open a restaurant does not have properly organized financials and is rejected by a loan committee because of this, then they are likely to revert back to a wage job relinquishing their dream. I want to minimize these occurrences by putting these entrepreneurs in the best position possible to receive that loan that they need to increase inventory for the next month or buy that machine that the success of their business hinges so heavily upon. This process is going to require that I work with all three pillars of ProsperUS. This includes the trainers of the entrepreneur training class, the loan officers, and those who work in business services. My job is not only to increase the success rate of the entrepreneurs, but also to ease the workload of my coworkers and create a more efficient and cohesive process. I hope to dive into this project during the upcoming week.